New York State Health Department to allow medical marijuana home delivery services

Patients approved for medical marijuana will be able to get it delivered to their home rather than have to go to a dispensary, under a new plan to expand the relatively new program announced by the state Tuesday.

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Saying that in many cases patients with serious health conditions either cannot leave their homes or have difficulty accessing medical marijuana products, the state Department of Health will begin allowing registered organizations already approved to dispense the drug to offer home delivery services.

The state within days will issue the organizations formal requirements that must be met for home delivery. The groups will then have to submit a plan to the Health Department, which will assess them "to ensure delivery services are implemented in a manner that protects the public health and safety."

Based on recent recommendations, the Health Department is also exploring changes that would allow schools to possess, secure and administer medical marijuana. And the department is reviewing additional brands beyond the five already required and will double to 10 over the next two years the number of organizations that can grow and dispense the medical pot.

Other changes include studying whether to extend the program to those with chronic pain, allowing nurse practitioners to certify patients, expanding the testing of medical marijuana products, and possibly creating a statewide list of registered practitioners to which patients can refer,

The state Department of Health will begin allowing registered organizations already approved to dispense the drug to offer home delivery services. (Seth Perlman/AP)

"We are constantly evaluating the program to make it more effective for patients and practitioners, and we believe that the implementation of these recommendations will do just that," said state Health Department Commissioner Howard Zucker.

The state's medical marijuana went into effect in January. The state says there are more than 7,000 patients certified in the program and 675 doctors approved to prescribe the drug.

The law currently allows medical marijuana to treat 10 serious illnesses and conditions, including cancer, HIV and AIDS, Lou Gehrig's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, epilepsy, some spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis.

The program has been criticized in some circles for not being expansive enough. Critics have also said it's been difficult for some, particularly upstate, to access the drug.

State Sen. Diane Savino, the Staten Island Democrat who sponsored the medical marijuana bill, praised the expansion announced by the state.

Based on recent recommendations, the Health Department is also exploring changes that would allow schools to possess, secure and administer medical marijuana. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

"There's not a single criticism I have," Savino said. "Everything I asked them to do to help strengthen the program to make it more viable for patients, easier for doctors and better for growers, they are implementing."

State Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long said he's not surprised the state is already looking to expand the program less than a year into it.

"The move Andrew Cuomo made to enact medical marijuana was really just the beginning for trying to move down the road to legalize it (for recreational purposes)," Long said.